February 2013

On Tuesday, March 5, staff from the Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau, and other government and private groups will gather in New York City to announce the top consumer frauds and complaints of the past year. The speakers will explain the top categories of complaints each organization received in 2012. Local consumers will be on hand to talk about their experiences with some of these scams. Continue Reading >

If you’re a member of the military community – or you work with servicemembers and their families – you’ll want to know about Military Saves, a campaign to persuade military families to save money every month. Managed by the Consumer Federation of America, Military Saves has been part of the Department of Defense’s Financial Readiness Campaign since 2003. While Military Saves is a year-round effort, DoD has designated this as Military Saves Week to bring extra attention to saving and financial readiness. Continue Reading >

The FTC and HTC America announced a settlement recently that requires the company to fix security flaws in their smart phones and tablets that put users’ sensitive information at risk. If you’re wondering whether your device was affected, you’ll be relieved to know there’s a new webpage for HTC users that lists affected HTC devices and the status of updates, along with a toll-free number for information (866-449-8358) that is staffed from 8 am to 1 am EST. Continue Reading >

When money’s tight, work-at-home opportunities can sound like just the thing to make some extra cash. Unfortunately, many of these “jobs” are rip-offs. Today, the FTC announced that it will mail over 50,000 refund checks to consumers who were scammed by Real Wealth, a company that allegedly peddled bogus work-at-home offers. Continue Reading >

by Dawnnesha Smith, Community Outreach Manager, County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs

The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs is honored to join consumer organizations across the United States in participating in National Consumer Protection Week. The campaign encourages consumers nationwide to take full advantage of their consumer rights and make better-informed decisions. Continue Reading >

If you’re a veteran over 65 — or related to one, you are a target for a particularly ugly type of scam that involves “poaching” your pension. Unscrupulous “advisers” — attorneys, financial planners, and insurance agents — are trying to sell you financial or legal products to move your assets around without giving you the whole truth about the long-term consequences. Continue Reading >

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is once again marking its calendar for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). This year, NCPW will be March 3-9. Along with its federal, state, and local partners, the FTC will kickoff NCPW on Monday, March 4, 11:00 a.m., at Tower City in downtown Cleveland. Get FREE information and resources at the Tower City kickoff event or at any of these FREE local NCPW events: